1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to luggage and in particular to suitcases having attached wheels and a handle for pulling.
2. Background
The prior art includes many suitcases having castered wheels that are mounted on the suitcase bottom wall and which also include a handle for pulling the suitcase along on the wheels. The handles may be rigid or flexible, and are often built into the luggage for convenience. When the suitcase is being pulled with all four castered wheels over a relatively smooth surface, this arrangement works reasonably well, but still imposes considerable strain on a user's pulling hand and arm, particularly over a partly uneven stretch of ground or around a corner. As seasoned travelers are well aware, a suitcase tends to tip over sometimes on an uneven straight surface and when turning corners, and has to be lifted on its rear wheels in order to negotiate a corner. Some presently available suitcases have two main wheels located at about the center of the suitcase bottom, in addition to castered wheels at the suitcase ends. This arrangement allows the suitcase to be partly tilted upward at its front end and pulled on its main wheels and rear casters, making it easier to pull without tipping. However, the suitcase can not have its front end tilted enough to avoid tipping while going around corners, because its rear bottom end touches the floor. Also, unless the pulling handle is fixed rigidly, there will remain appreciable extra strain on a user pulling arm when pulling on the two main wheels.
There is thus a need for a towable suitcase that can be pulled with comfort and without undue strain on the hand, over flat or uneven surfaces and around corners.